Situation in Kashmir will improve in 2-3 months: Mehbooba after meeting Rajnath

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said the situation in Jammu and Kashmir will improve in the next two or three months, after which a dialogue could be initiated.

Mufti said this after a meeting with meeting Union home minister Rajnath Singh amid growing unrest in Kashmir, which has put the PDP-BJP coalition under strain.

The chief minister did not specify who the talks would be with, but, during her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi she had invoked former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s policy on Kashmir in an apparent suggestion for talks with separatists.
“I understand that the coming two-three months are crucial for us. I want to say that you will find the situation of Jammu and Kashmir changed. We will first restore normalcy and then talks can be initiated,” she said.

Mufti said the central government at the highest level would have to take a decision on initiating a dialogue.

During her meeting with the home minister, where BJP’s general secretary incharge of Jammu and Kashmir, Ram Madhav, was also present, Mufti briefed Singh about the law and order situation in the Valley, where violence broke out during the April 9 bypoll to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat.

Mufti also raised the issue of security of Kashmiris living in different parts of the country, referring to reports of alleged threats to them in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Singh told the chief minister that all state governments had been instructed to provide security to Kashmiris in their states and asked to take strong action against anyone threatening or harassing Kashmiris.